There is a lot of controversy over a trilogy of books that have been rumored to put BDSM romance in the spotlight~ Well, I have news for those peeps --
BDSM has been alive and very popular for a long time. While I am not a fan of the above mentioned series, I am not here to bash the books or in no way trying to minimize the author's success of said books. I would just like to take the time to point out that there are some REALLY GREAT books out there within the BDSM genre.
So I thought I would do a post that focused on the BDSM sub genre in romance ~ 50 SHADES BETTER.
NOTE** This is my opinion**These are all books that I have read and enjoyed and savored over a glass of wine and discussed much with other avid readers like myself.
2nd NOTE**--this is NOT a blog post to bash or rave about the other 50 Shades, so keep that in mind when commenting.
1. The Reluctant Dom ~ Tymber Dalton
Love hurts...if you're lucky. Kaden knows he's dying, but before he goes, he has one problem he needs to solve - he must ask his oldest friend Seth to take over as his beloved wife's Dom and Master after his death. Seth has always seen himself as the perpetual screw-up and Kaden as the strong and steady one, so his friend's request rocks his world. Now Seth finds himself immersed in a role he's far from comfortable with: inflicting pain to provide emotional comfort for the woman he's secretly loved for years. Can he deal with his crushing grief and learn the skills he must master in time to become THE RELUCTANT DOM?
2. Second Chances ~ Lauren Dane
Ten years ago, Rori Simon left town shy, unattractive and with zero self-esteem. Now she’s back, older, stronger and finally loving herself—and it shows. Hot men are soon knocking at her door, including Jude Callahan, the bad boy who starred in her teenage daydreams…and her adult fantasies.
Jude can’t believe the sexy, confident woman before him is actually Rori! She’s gotten under his skin like no other woman has…and brings out secret desires he can’t resist. He wants to dominate Rori with every fiber of his being. Wants to own her and pleasure her. To cherish her as he makes her his.
Rori discovers she likes being controlled. She also knows Jude is not a one-woman man. Everything changes when she meets Zach Helm. Edgy, sensual Zach knows just what she needs, and before long, she’s in love. Jude watches them together and wonders if he’s lost his chance forever…
3. Wicked Lovers Series ~ Shayla Black
When a stalker ratchets up his attempts to get to her, cable sex talk show host Morgan O'Malley turns to Jack Cole-a self-proclaimed dominant- for help. Though Jack is a bodyguard, Morgan feels anything but safe in his presence. Because slowly and seductively, Jack is bringing her deepest fantasies to the surface. And when he bends her to his will, what's more shocking than her surrender is how much she enjoys it and how she starts to crave his masterful touch. A willing player in Jack's games, Morgan knows that his motives aren't pure. But she has no idea how personal they are.
4. Club Shadowland Series ~ Cherise Sinclair
Her job is to make his life miserable. His job is to make her submit. Whose heart will surrender first?
Across the country, rebellious BDSM submissives are being systematically kidnapped, one from each club. When her friend falls prey to the slavers, FBI victim specialist Gabrielle volunteers to be bait in a club not yet hit: the Shadowlands.
She finds that being a bratty sub comes naturally, especially when she gets to twit the appallingly conservative Master of the trainees. But she soon discovers he's not as stuffy as she'd thought. Or as mean. She'd expected punishment, even humiliation, but she sure never expected to fall in love with a damned lawyer.
Courtesy of a prima donna ex-wife, Marcus loathes disobedient submissives. When the club owner insists he admit an incredibly bratty trainee, he's furious. But as he comes to know Gabrielle and sees the alluring sweetness beneath the sass, he starts to fall for her.
Unfortunately, Marcus isn't the only one who believes the feisty redhead is a prize worth capturing. And in the world of the slaver, such treasure is worth a hefty fee.
5. Rescue Me Series - Kallypso Masters
Retired Marine Master Sergeant Adam Montague has battled through four war zones, but now finds himself running from Karla Paxton, who has declared war on his heart. With a twenty-five year age difference, he feels he should be her guardian and protector, not her lover. But Karla's knack for turning up in his bed at inopportune times is killing his resolve to do the right thing. Karla isn't a little girl anymore—something his body reminds him of every chance it gets.
Karla Paxton fell in love with Adam when she was a sixteen-year-old runaway and he rescued her. Now, nine years later, she's determined to make Adam see her as a woman. But their age difference is only part of the problem. Adam has been a guardian and protector for lost and vulnerable souls most of his life, but a secret he has run from for more than three decades has kept him emotionally unable to admit he can love anyone. Will she be able to lower his guard long enough to break down the defenses around his heart and help him put to rest the ghosts from his past? In her all-out war to get Adam to surrender his heart, can the strong-willed Goth singer offer herself as his submissive—and at what cost to herself?
6. Loving On the Edge Series ~ Roni Loren
Brynn LeBreck has dedicated herself to helping women in crisis, but she never imagined how personal her work would get, or where it would take her. Her younger sister is missing, suspected to be hiding from cops and criminals alike at a highly secretive BDSM retreat-a place where the elite escape to play out their most extreme sexual fantasies. To find her, Brynn must go undercover as a sexual submissive. Unfortunately, The Ranch is invitation only. And the one master who can get her in is from the darkest corner of Brynn's past.
Brynn knows what attorney Reid Jamison is like once stripped of his conservative suit and tie. Years ago she left herself vulnerable only to have him crush her heart. Now she needs him again. Back on top. And he's all too willing to engage. But as their primal desires and old wounds are exposed, the sexual games escalate-and so does the danger. Their hearts aren't the only things at risk. Someone else is watching, playing by his own rules. And his game could be murder...
7. Sweet Series - Maya Banks
Under Faith Malone's deceptively soft exterior lies a woman who knows exactly what she wants: a strong man who'll take without asking - because she's willing to give him everything...
Dallas cop Gray Montgomery is on a mission: find the guy who killed his partner and bring him to justice. So far, he's found a link between the killer and Faith - and if Gray has to get close to he to catch the killer, so be it.
Faith is sweet and feminine, everything Gray wants and desires in a woman, but he suspects she's playing games. No way would she allow a man to call the shots in their relationship. Or would she?
Faith sees in Gray the strong, dominant man she needs, but he seems determined to keep her at a distance. So she takes matters into her own hands to prove to him it's no game she's playing. She's willing to surrender to the right man. Gray would like to be that man. But catching his partner's killer has to be his first priority - until Faith is threatened and Gray realizes he will do anything to protect her...
8. Ragged Edge ~ Sara Brookes
Dalton is no stranger to hitting rock bottom. He's worked hard to turn his life around. Now he has a quiet life, a successful business and a no-strings-attached arrangement for sex with Kincade. Everything is just as it should be. Then a late-night rendezvous is interrupted by a sexy newcomer, and Dalton realizes something is missing.
Caught up in the intense passion the men share, Erin doesn't know whether to run or get between their hard bodies. She's convinced her attraction is wrong. However, a little persuasion from both Dalton and Cade convinces her she belongs with and between them.
Erin's surrender becomes Dalton's reawakening. A BDSM master, Dalton is in his element commanding his lovers, and soon the threesome fills their nights with mind-blowing pleasure. But when a piece of Dalton's past resurfaces, it threatens the very foundation he's built . . . and could put him back at the bottom.
9. Tempting SEALS Series ~ Lora Leigh
(not all heroes in this series are Doms--but all are great, sexy reads with fast-paced action and suspense).
Navy SEAL Clint "Iceman" McIntire didn't earn his nickname by being a coward. Or a quitter. Having crushed an infamous drug cartel in Colombia, Clint was nothing short of an American hero. Now he's home, on a much-needed leave, but instead of some R&R, he finds himself neck-deep in trouble with his best friend's little sister, Morganna Chavez, the only woman who has the power to bring him to his knees. . .
Morganna has been secretly working with the DEA to uncover a thriving date-rape drug, which leads her to a shadowy faction that is more deadly than anything her team has ever encountered. Now it's up to Clint to keep this beautiful, determined agent out of harm's way, even while the passion between them threatens to consume them. Soon Clint's greatest mission will be not just keeping Morganna safe, but getting her into his arms and never letting go
10. Rough Riders Lorelei James ( not all are strictly BDSM themed, but damn smexy-everyone!)
In Sundance, Wyoming, you can't throw a boot without hitting a McKay cowboy, so Ben McKay is used to fading into the background. Except on weekends, when he's Bennett, imposing Dom at The Rawhide Club, surrounded by a bevy of female subs eager for the attention of his long...whip.
As for the curvy brunette eying him from across the room? He'll eat his Stetson if she's the experienced Domme she claims to be. Bennett offers her a deal-he'll let her call the shots for one night. But the next night he gets to prove to her how freeing it'll be when he takes the reins.
Ainsley Hamilton is amazed by how well Bennett read her every secret yearning during that one explosive weekend-and she's stunned when they come face to face in their everyday lives as rancher and new bank president. Now Ben's urging her to explore her submissive side outside the club, and there's something in his commanding gaze that makes it too easy to let him take control-of her desires and her pleasure.
Can Ben help Ainsley overcome her fear that a relationship built on dark sexual appetites won't survive the light of day?
~ Other authors and books to consider with BDSM themes and great stories ~
Lea Shaw - 31 Flavors
Cari Underwood - 31 Flavors
Callie Croix - Let Me In
Lauren Gallagher - Damaged Goods
Dana Marie Bell - Dare To Dream
Lisa Marie Rice - Midnight Man
Eliza Gayle
Sophie Oak
Joey Hill
Eve Langlais
Jaci Burton
Lora Leigh--Bound Hearts Series and Nauti Series
Lilli Feisty
Lainey Reese
Emma Holly
Shiloh Walker
In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Stacey Kennedy returns to Club Sin with another wicked and wild tale of submission, seduction, and love.
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